Astro Bug

THE VILLAGES, Fla. - AstroBug -- The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has announced a two-part event called Celebrating Life Together—A Pet-Approved Event to raise awareness for humane, ethical, and effective pet training and care and celebrate the very special relationships that pets and their people share. Part 1 of the event is a community outreach competition that will take place throughout the month of August and will involve the mass production of fun and informative education that provides great examples of positive-reinforcement (R+) training and pet care procedures. Part 2 is a three-day virtual education event covering multiple species and specialty topics that will take place August 16–18, 2024. Proceeds from the event will help fund the Pet Training Science Alliance, the research arm of PPG.

The event was developed as an antidote to the onslaught of harmful advice for pet owners broadcast in local communities and on social media platforms. The pet training industry is unregulated and requires no credentials, formal education, or licensure. This leaves pet owners at the peril of slick marketing funneling them into buying choices that are, at best, ineffective and, at worst, dangerous. As part of its mission, PPG respectfully submits that showcasing training methods that use force, fear, or pain is morally and ethically wrong, as well as damaging to the animal and to the human-animal bond, and potentially creates hazards for the pet-owning public that may attempt to use such methods.

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For the community outreach competition, pet owners and pet professionals who are passionate about advocating for humane, ethical, and effective pet training and care will be encouraged, motivated, and incentivized to engage in outreach activities and develop R+ educational offerings for their local areas and/or on social media that all pet owners can embrace. Pet professionals will also be encouraged to provide business-to-business education in their communities to share knowledge about what R+ training is, why we should use it, and how we best apply it to support pet owners and their pets.

The outreach activities and educational offerings are stratified into categories such as quality time with your pet, enrichment, fun outdoor activities, educational events, and flash mobs. There are also categories for those who wish to use their graphic or writing skills to share information about R+ pet training and care. Submissions in each category will be open for public voting in September 2024, with the winners and runners-up in each submission category winning great prize packages. The winning submissions will then be entered into the grand prize competitions for Pet Professional Best in Show and Pet Owner Best in Class.

To support the community outreach competition, a three-day virtual education event will be hosted on August 16, 17, and 18, 2024. This event will showcase three tracks of education daily across species and specialty topics: canine, feline, equid, avian, shelter and rescue, assistance animals, and business. Registrants will enjoy a minimum of 45 hours of education that will be recorded and made available to them for 12 months. Those interested in presenting can submit their proposals now.

In recent years, much credible scientific study has been given to dog training and behavior modification methods and their respective efficacy and consequences. A preponderance of the evidence shown by these studies indicates that the implementation of training and/or behavior modification protocols predicated upon outdated "dominance theory" and social structures ("alpha" or "pack leader"), and the use of physical or mental force, intimidation, coercion, or fear are empirically less effective and often create as a consequence "fallout" behaviors, such as fear, aggression, global suppression of behavior, or total shutdown—behaviors that may be dangerous to the human and animal involved.

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Said Niki Tudge, PPG founder and president, "The Pet Professional Guild, an international member organization for force-free pet trainers and behavior consultants, appeals to all to re-evaluate any decision to showcase forceful, painful, and aversive training methods and equipment. It is and always has been the goal of the Pet Professional Guild to provide the resources, education, and mentoring process to all professionals who are committed to following current science and research. In turn, this helps provide a marketplace of professionals for pet owners where progressive, kind, and humane trainers and pet service providers can be easily found."

About the Pet Professional Guild

The Pet Professional Guild is a 501(c)6 member organization founded on the principles of force-free training and pet care.
About Celebrating Life Together—A Pet-Approved Event
Registration for the event opens on June 1, 2024. Information about the event, presenter arrangements, and sponsorship opportunities can be found at the PPG website

IMPORTANT LINKS
Presenter Submission Pack

Sponsorship Opportunities

Event Information